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July 14, 2017
By DAVER KARNOWSKY
dkarnowsky@mininggazette.com
BARAGA — With the month of July winding down, the Upper Peninsula Muzzle Loading Association is preparing to host its 41st Annual Rendezvous late next week. The Rendezvous will open July 20 and run through July 22 at the Ottawa Sportsmen's Club off of M-38 in Baraga.
The Rendezvous is free to watch and open to the public, featuring a wide variety of events ranging from shooting competitions - with both guns and bows - to knife thawing. Participants and viewers are encouraged to dress in pre-1840 costumes throughout the weekend.
"It's a group of people doing history reenacting," said UPMLA secretary Bob Keen. "We will have the events that people think took place during the rendezvous back in the 1840s in the Rocky Mountain area."
Rendezvous that the UPMLA based their annual one after were often an event where mountain men got together to sell their furs and compete in a number of competitions involving everything from shooting to woodcraft.
Members of the UPMLA won't the only ones participating. The public is also encouraged to participate for a nominal fee. Registration will be held throughout the weekend.
A youth rifle match will also be held, making the Rendezvous a family-friendly experience, along with other events for younger competitors.
"We are hoping to pass on the techniques," said Keen. "We have instruction in fire-starting for the youth, teaching them how to use flint and steel to start a fire".
Thursday will feature a trade gun woods walk using flint-only traditional smoothbore guns - where targets will be hidden throughout a wooded course - and a pistol woods walk, featuring muzzle-loaded pistols designed to he held, aimed, and fired in one hand in the morning before long bow and long distance rifle shoots in the afternoon - featuring various lengths of targets.
Friday will feature a second pistol woods walk and a smoothbore shoot in the morning before the tomahawk and knife, pan and hammer, and rolling pin, along with throwing competitions in the afternoon. Friday evening will include a primitive fire starting competition along with a rifle fun shoot.
Saturday will feature a rifle shooting match where the rules are similar to those in the Olympics in that competitors will have three shots to try to hit the target, a pistol shooting match, and a junior rifle match before a potluck dinner and open fire cookoff.
The UPMLA was founded in 1975 to preserve the skills of early settlers and pioneers along with their use of muzzle-loading firearms. The Rendezvous started within a year and has grown into an annual event. Previously run at multiple locations throughout the U.P., the Rendezvous has found a permanent home at the Ottawa Sportsmen Club since the early 2000s.
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